* ActorShipping: Oh boy... Yes, there are fans who ship Creator/GillianAnderson and Creator/DavidDuchovny rather intensely. You can check Website/YouTube {{Fan Vid}}s.* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Does O'Malley genuinely believe the conspiracy theories he espouses, or is he a double agent for the Syndicate, or simply in it for the money? Mulder even ponders on the last one.* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: A barely-known creator and male protagonist, along with a complete unknown actress, plus a premise that could alienate people given the SciFiGhetto. Fox even put the show right after ''Series/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJr'' feeling that would be the hit, and ''The X-Files'' would get the residual audience... when ''Brisco County Jr'' struggled with falling ratings and didn't get renewed, and ''The X-Files'' only improved its audience within S1 and eventually lasted for 9 seasons.* {{Anvilicious}}: "[[Recap/TheXFilesS07E02TheSixthExtinctionIIAmorFati The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati]]" really goes nuts with the [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory Mulder-is-Jesus]] subtext. At one point, Mulder is strapped to a cross-shaped operating table clad in nothing but a loincloth with some sort of brain-scanning device on his head that looks eerily like a crown of thorns, whilst the Smoking Man is babbling on about the sacrifice Mulder's making for the world and how wonderful it is that he's dying for everyone.* ArchivePanic: With nine seasons of twenty-odd episodes each, it takes a long time to get through the series if you're starting from the very beginning.* AwardSnub: Averted with Creator/GillianAnderson, who won just about every award on the block for her work as Scully. However, while the series did do extremely well at the Emmys and Golden Globes, it never could win Best Drama Series from the former, despite taking it from the Globes on 3 occasions. Could be attributed to a case of SciFiGhetto.* AwesomeMusic: Has its own [[AwesomeMusic/TheXFiles sub-page]].* BetterOnDVD:** Averted for several years. This was one of the first television shows to be sold on DVD, and so distributors didn't know what the price points should be. For many years the DVD seasons were priced over $100 each.** Played straight later. A season is about $15, if you know where to go. (Others keep it priced at $40 a season.) It actually is Better on [=DVD=] if you want to avoid ContinuityLockout in terms of the MythArc -- especially because of all the double and triple episodes, some of which were even spread over two seasons.** All 9 seasons are on Netflix. Go crazy. (The movies have been removed from Netflix, unfortunately.) [[note]]Additionally, at least with the US version, all of the hard-coded subtitles (including the typing text that tells the date) have been removed, likely due to them using an international master as opposed to the original one. There may be details that could be missed by a viewer watching the series on Netflix for the first time.[[/note]]** And now, it's better on Blu-Ray. All 10 seasons can be bought on blu-ray for 20 bucks a piece on average as of June 2016. Better yet, these releases, for the most part, use 35mm film transfers whereas the [=DVDs=] (and for a long time until January 2016, Netflix) used old tapes. Prior to the release, there was a seemingly built-in case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks due to seasons 1-4 being presented in 1:85.1, until the director of photography issued a statement claiming HateDumb, stating that the seasons were always filmed in widescreen so that it would be "Available". Some episodes of earlier seasons had to use upconverted video sources due to the film being too damaged (or downright missing), but the consensus for the most part among fans is that, with the exception of the updated opening titles, this is the definitive way to watch this series.* BizarroEpisode: Some of the MonsterOfTheWeek episodes qualify, specifically the more goofy/comedic ones like "[[Recap/TheXFilesS03E20JoseChungsFromOuterSpace Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space']]" and "[[Recap/TheXFilesS05E12BadBlood Bad Blood]]".* BrokenBase: Mulder being a 9/11 truther in the 2016 revival naturally stirred up quite a bit of controversy, with many fans saying that despite being perfectly in character, it makes him rather harder to root for. There's also some questions over whether it's meant to just be a character bit, or if Creator/ChrisCarter is actually trying to convince the audience the government was behind it.* CompleteMonster: Has its own [[Monster/TheXFiles sub-page]].* CreatorsPet: Doggett's detractors accuse him of being one of these -- the writers seemed determined to have him save the day as often as possible when he first appeared, even if it required [[{{Chickification}} making Scully uncharacteristically weak or stupid]]. Confirmed according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki. Apparently, Carter was obsessed with making much of the 8th season about Doggett. This upset David Duchovny who then asked to get to write and direct an episode revolving around Mulder's abduction. Chris Carter then rejected this idea because it "wasn't about Doggett".* CrossesTheLineTwice: In "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E03Teliko Teliko]]", the [[MonsterOfTheWeek MOTW]] feeds on pituitary hormones that stimulate production of the pigment melanin -- the one that gives us our skin color. As a result, his preferred victims are people of African descent. Even funnier, pituitary melanocyte-stimulating hormone is not responsible for the baseline skin tones of humans. He'd have been better off attacking Caucasians with obvious suntans, or people with Addison's disease. So in other words, the monster just might be racist. As if [[RefugeInAudacity that weren't enough]], Mulder's remark upon seeing one victim's body was:-->'''Mulder:''' I'm sure there's a Music/MichaelJackson joke in there somewhere. %% Please see Funny/TheXFiles, Heartwarming/TheXFiles, Awesome/TheXFiles and CrowningMusic/LiveActionTV for appropriate crowning moment examples.* DracoInLeatherPants: Krycek. No matter how many times he tried to kill Mulder and Scully and how horrible deeds he committed, some fans still root for him and think he's the force for the good, very much like the agents.* DryDocking: Why do you think people were so happy that Mulder and Scully held out for so long?* EarWorm: The theme song.* EnsembleDarkhorse:** A meta-example among the cast and crew: Darin Morgan, who played the flukeman in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E02TheHost The Host]]", went on to write some of the smartest and funniest episodes of the series, gaining a personal fanbase over the course of the series and playing a more recognizably human MonsterOfTheWeek in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E20SmallPotatoes Small Potatoes]]". Morgan was popular enough that he was brought back to write an episode for season 10 over a decade later, "[[Recap/TheXFilesMiniseriesE03MulderAndScullyMeetTheWereMonster Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster]]".** The flukeman is one of the most popular and well-remembered monsters that Mulder and Scully have encountered. Many fans are disappointed that the SequelHook ending its episode had was never followed up. The season 10 comics even brought it back and gave it a proper backstory.** Skinner is a great example. For some people, him just showing up in the second movie was the best thing about it.** The Lone Gunmen. A trio of conspiracy theorists and nerdy friends of Mulder's were welcome additions to the show from their very first appearance.** Eugene Victor Tooms distinguished himself as one of the series' most popular MonsterOfTheWeek, even being one of the few to appear in more than one episode.** Mrs Scully, definitely. Sheila Larken's performance was always a joy to watch. Only one thing - pity that Mrs Scully usually showed up only for a family crisis and thus was seen to suffer a lot.** Agent Pendrell, a science guy with a crush on Scully. Amazing that he managed to become a fans' favourite with so little number of occurrences. ** The Peacock Family are some of the most well-liked [[MonsterOfTheWeek MOTWs]], simply for how utterly ''terrifying'' they managed to be despite not having any real supernatural traits.%% * EvilIsCool: The Cigarette-Smoking Man and Krycek.%%% Zerocontext examples are not allowed.* FanDislikedExplanation: The ultimate reveal of Samantha's fate. Mulder was tormented by her clones and doubles and statements that she's still alive. It was finally revealed that she had been abducted by the conspiracy who had collaborated with the aliens, we learnt that horrible tests had been performed on her and then she had lived with the Cancer Man's family. So far so good — fans always suspected something like this. However, when she was 14, she was "saved" by fairies or angels that made her body disappear, meaning that her corpse will never be found, but Mulder did see her ghost.** The implication [[spoiler: aliens have never really been in contact with humans, beyond the Syndicate seizing their tech and using it for nefarious purposes]] in "[[Recap/TheXFilesMiniseriesE01MyStruggle My Struggle]]". Especially given there are a lot of things contradicting this in the original run, a lot of fans are hoping for it to be a fakeout.* FanonDiscontinuity: One of the reasons for the whole BrokenBase mess. People differ on where they put the cutoff, but if you want a calm friendly discussion about the show it's safest to avoid bringing up seasons 8 and 9.** The specific episode that gets this the most is probably "[[Recap/TheXFilesS09E15JumpTheShark Jump the Shark]]", which [[spoiler: [[DroppedABridgeOnHim drops a bridge]] on the Lone Gunmen]]. Fans everywhere declared that Fletcher was lying through his teeth and it's considered one of the worst episodes of the series. Apparently the creators [[CreatorBacklash weren't very]] [[OldShame fond of it either]] as the comic continuation retcons [[spoiler: the Lone Gunmen's]] deaths away with a HandWave.** Strangely inverted with "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E07MusingsOfACigaretteSmokingMan Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man]]"; WordOfGod says that it's not canon or is pseudocanon (that is, parts of it definitely happened but other parts didn't) but many fans take it as canon since it gives a lot of backstory and characterization to the Cigarette-Smoking Man.* FoeYay:** Mulder and Krycek, full stop. Krycek is something of a FoeYay whore, really. He has chemistry with practically everyone, but it's most obvious with Mulder. He forces a peck on Mulder's cheek in one episode.** Barnett and Mulder in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E16YoungAtHeart Young at Heart]]". Let's review: Barnett is a mass murderer who literally gets off on the suffering of his victims, is stalking and playing freaky mind games with Mulder... and in the flashback to the trial we see him mouth "I'll. Get. You." to Mulder right before BLOWING HIM A KISS.* FunnyAneurysmMoment:** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E02DeepThroat Deep Throat]]" has a mention of Desert Storm part 2. [[TheWarOnTerror Ten years later, guess what happened.]]** An even harsher example from the following episode: Scully and a Quantico classmate discuss a mutual acquaintance's career progress in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E03Squeeze Squeeze]]", and both dismiss him as a suck-up who's climbing the FBI ladder because he's a publicity hog, working high-profile media cases but not getting any ''real'' work done. How did this ex-classmate get himself noticed by the upper ranks? Investigating the 1993 [[FromBadToWorse World Trade Center bombing]].** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E15FreshBones Fresh Bones]]":*** The episode features an Army Colonel administering a Haitian refugee camp say: "We're soldiers, not prison guards. And we're being asked to police a hostile population of foreigners without the resources to feed or house them." Hard for a contemporary viewer not to think of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo.*** Haiti itself produced lots of refugees following the 2010 earthquake - [[https://news.vice.com/article/humanitarian-disaster-forces-closure-of-haitian-refugee-camp-in-brazil forcing the creation of a camp in Brazil]], which doesn't help these matters either.** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS06E05DreamlandII Dreamland II]]" reveals that UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein is a character created by the government for whenever they need someone to do some saber rattling.* GrowingTheBeard: After the first episode of the revival, "[[Recap/TheXFilesMiniseriesE01MyStruggle My Struggle]]" proved to be divisive, "[[Recap/TheXFilesMiniseriesE02FoundersMutation Founder's Mutation]]" managed to regrow the beard for the show with its classic monster of the week action and emotional looks at Mulder and Scully's regrets.* HarsherInHindsight:** Creator/DavidDuchovny's later admission that he had a severe sex addiction puts Mulder's porn fetish in an uncomfortable new light.** From "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E08Tunguska Tunguska]]":--->'''Krycek:''' The truth? The truth?! There is no truth! [[Creator/ChrisCarter These men]] are making it up as they go along!* HeReallyCanAct: "[[Recap/TheXFilesS06E07TermsOfEndearment Terms of Endearment]]" certainly didn't receive universal acclaim, but Creator/BruceCampbell was widely praised for his guest appearance as Wayne Weinsider. Many observed that he had effectively [[PlayingAgainstType played against type]]. This performance even made Campbell considered to play John Doggett.* HilariousInHindsight: ** Creator/ChrisCarter has stated that Scully's initial character profile was Clarice Starling from ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' in all but name. Creator/GillianAnderson later took a role on the prequel series ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'' (and was the first choice to play Clarice herself in the film of the same name, except her contract with the show forbade her from playing other FBI agents).** Creator/DonalLogue playing a clean-cut, ambitious FBI agent in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E03Squeeze Squeeze]]". These days, he's [[Series/{{Terriers}} better]] [[Series/{{Gotham}} known]] for playing slovenly, laid-back detectives.* HoYay:** Mulder and Krycek. FoeYay after Krycek is revealed to be a double agent.** Mulder and Skinner. They are reasonably close for two law-enforcement loner agents, and especially considering that Skinman is Mulder's superior and all-around hardass boss. In the season 10 premiere, Skinner notes a day hasn't gone by in 14 years in which he hasn't wanted to call Mulder.** Mulder in general is... very comfortable with his masculinity. In the season 2 episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E20Humbug Humbug]]":--->'''Mr. Nutt:''' Just because I'm not of so-called average height does not mean I must receive my thrills vicariously. Not all women are attracted to overly tall, lanky men such as yourself. You'd be surprised how many women find my size intriguingly alluring.\\'''Mulder:''' You'd be surprised how many men do as well.** If you're in a LesYay mood, the two teen girls in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS03E13Syzygy Syzygy]]" are... close.** The nude exam scene between Scully and the other woman in "Ice" is rather tender.* JerkassWoobie:** The Greys, who used to be a kind and peaceful race until they were corrupted and twisted into monsters by the Black Oil.** The Cigarette Smoking Man in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E07MusingsOfACigaretteSmokingMan Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man]]", if the events are to be believed. He assassinated JFK and Dr. King, is powerful enough to get personal calls from Saddam Hussein (and leave him on hold), influenced the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Winter Olympics, and then leaves a Christmastime meeting to write about this about his AuthorAvatar: "Jack Colquitt sat alone in his apartment at Christmas. He believed in sacrifice. Yet, some nights, he longed for a second chance...".** [[Recap/TheXFilesS04E12LeonardBetts Leonard Betts]], the cancer eating mutant. He doesn't ''want'' to hurt people and tried to only eat from corpses, but than he got exposed by a car accident and just couldn't fight the hunger anymore. Rob Roberts suffers from similar problems.* JumpingTheShark: An episode is literally called "[[Recap/TheXFilesS09E15JumpTheShark Jump the Shark]]".* MemeticMutation:** The theme song. ''Wah-wah-wah-wah-WAH-wah (Deedledeedledeedle) Wah-wah-wah-wah-WAH-wah (Deedledeedee) WAH-wah-wah-wah-WAH.'' [[note]] Humming, playing, or whistling the melody indicates that something paranormal or at least something very weird is going on. It's also associated with conspiracy theories about TheIlluminati, often by people parodying said theories (usually by pasting the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence Eye of Providence]] onto anything that's vaguely triangle-shaped and then playing the music).[[/note]]** I want to believe. [[note]] Both the phrase itself and Mulder's UFO poster displaying it, which has spawned its own set of [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-want-to-believe online photoshops]].[[/note]]** The truth is out there. [[note]] It was the main message appearing at the end of the opening credits. Represents the constant search for what exactly is going on.[[/note]]** Trust no one. [[note]] The season 1 finale changed the tag line in the opening credits for the first time from 'The truth is out there' to 'Trust no one', and Mulder's first MysteriousInformant Deep Throat told him the phrase as his dying words. It kept resurfacing from time to time.[[/note]]** [[Music/BarenakedLadies Watchin' X-Files with no lights on! We're dans la maison!]]** ... bleeping dead alien. [[note]] In "[[Recap/TheXFilesS03E20JoseChungsFromOuterSpace Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space']]", one of the detectives curses like a sailor, which they can't show in the RashomonStyle episode. So he apparently says "bleep" a lot. Both Mulder and Scully quote the detective in phrases ending with "bleeping dead alien".[[/note]]** It was fans of the show who invented the term "{{Shipping}}", as a way of labeling the fans who wanted Mulder and Scully to get together (shippers) and the ones who didn't (noromos).** "Mulder, are you suggesting that..." and other variations of such, almost once per episode.** "Mulder, it's me." To the point that it was winkingly used as Scully's introductory line in the first movie.** "Jose Chung" also helped give us the persistent refrain "ayy lmao," with a screenshot from the episode serving as the original macro template. * MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Krycek]] officially crosses it in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS05E13PatientX Patient X]]", where he captures a boy who's seen an UFO, infects him with the Black Oil, and makes sure he remains infected, by sewing his mouth and eyes shut so that the Oil can't leak out. * NauseaFuel:** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E02Home Home]]". Ew. Double Ew. Murderous, incestuous family with all kinds of genetic defects. "Home" was in fact so disturbing that after it first aired, it was ''banned from network TV''. ** There's "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E06Sanguinarium Sanguinarium]]". Dear lord, it's ten times worse! Medical horror at its most disturbing.* NeverLiveItDown: Creator/DavidDuchovny's red speedo in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E05DuaneBarry Duane Barry]]".* ParanoiaFuel: The whole. Goddamn. Show. Government hiding info? Alien invaders? The fact the monsters of the week are hiding in everyday America?** The revival seems to be adding mass government surveillance to the paranoia stew.* ReplacementScrappy: ** Both Doggett and Reyes are seen this way by many fans. Doggett got less of it, mostly due to Robert Patrick's performance; many fans like him as a supporting/recurring character and only disliked the fact that he replaced Mulder. Reyes wasn't as lucky. The chemistry this pair of agents had couldn't compare to the epic levels which Mulder and Scully had.** Marita Covarubbias wasn't especially popular compared to her predecessors Deep Throat and X. Her myriad double-crosses and hooking up with Krycek didn't endear her to many fans, either.* RetroactiveRecognition: Quite a few.** Probably the most notable is Creator/BryanCranston in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS06E02Drive Drive]]". Creator/VinceGilligan, who wrote the episode, claims his performance in that episode is what inspired him to cast Cranston in his StarMakingRole in ''Series/BreakingBad''. Funnily enough, Bryan would later be in a movie called ''Drive''.** Literally three years before the first season, Creator/DavidDuchovny had a recurring role as a cross-dressing FBI agent on ''Series/TwinPeaks''.* TheScrappy: Diana Fowley, AKA The Fowl One, was loathed by a vast majority of fans. She was not meant to be likeable, but she was hated even more than the writers anticipated. She was assigned to the X-Files cases when Mulder and Scully were ReassignedToAntarctica and she soon revealed herself as a rat collaborating with TheConspiracy. Moreover, she was forced as a RomanticFalseLead and OldFlame to Mulder, so naturally especially shippers hated her. Her final deeds and death redeemed her a little, but there was hardly a fan who shed a tear for her.%%%% If you think a character qualifies as The Scrappy, please discuss it in the clean-up thread first. This audience reaction trope is often misused.%%* SeasonalRot: You'll rarely find someone who thinks the show's entire run was worth watching. Most place the rot creeping in around season 7 and in full force for the last two seasons; some argue a downhill trajectory was noticeable earlier, at the beginning of season 6; a few claim it started as early as season 3.* ShipToShipCombat: Good ''God''. In the show's heyday, whole websites and mailing lists were devoted to shipping wars. It might be, if not the UrExample, at least the TropeCodifier.* SpecialEffectFailure: Lots of 'em, especially in the first three seasons or so, when the show had little budget to speak of.** Early on, the show's special effects were created using the NTSC 29.97 frame rate, while the show was recorded on 24fps film stock. As a result, the digital effects would move much at a completely different (and much smoother) frame rate than the background plates, or the vehicular action would be very obviously sped up in post to try and lend it some thrills.** The swarm of bugs in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E20DarknessFalls Darkness Falls]]". It's painfully obvious that the bugs are just random dots that move around. When the swarm "moves", it looks like the bugs are confined by a flat surface in the direction of motion.** The age-makeup in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E19DodKalm Død Kalm]]". Especially if you compare it to the [[NightmareFuel awesome]] make-up of victims of an unknown disease a few episodes later.** In "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E25Anasazi Anasazi]]", there are some very unsuccessful [[http://i.imgur.com/e7BgpFQ.jpg composite shots]] that attempt to place the actors in the New Mexico desert rather than a quarry in Vancouver. ** The [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/x-files/images/4/4f/Space.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080705015245 possession effect]] in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E09Space Space]]" is one of many well-known issues with the episode.** HD remasters only: while the production team had excellent foresight in regards to widescreen television usage, in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS07E19HollywoodAD Hollywood A.D.]]" it's obvious when a stunt double fills in for Creator/GillianAnderson in the FunnyBackgroundEvent where Scully shows Téa Leoni how to run in heels.* {{Squick}}:** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E03Squeeze Squeeze]]": Tooms's bile.--->'''Scully:''' Oh my God, Mulder, it smells like... I think it's ''bile''.\\'''Mulder:''' Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E22FEmasculata F. Emasculata]]" is the squickiest squick that ever squicked. {{Two Words|AddedEmphasis}}: Bursting pustules.** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E06Sanguinarium Sanguinarium]]". It may as well be considered the ''Film/ASerbianFilm'' of the series. A woman vomiting up a bunch of bloody needles is one of the ''less'' disgusting things that happens.** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E12LeonardBetts Leonard Betts]]": The processing unit at the hospital was gad enough, but a monster who actually eats tumours? ** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS07E18BrandX Brand X]]" has beetles that hatch inside your lungs and then ''eat your face off''.* StoicWoobie: ** Scully. The more upset she is, the more she'll insist that she's fine. ** Clyde Bruckman. He seems like a guy with a stiff upper lip, but than you learn how miserable his powers make him.** Mulder as of "[[Recap/TheXFilesMiniseriesE02FoundersMutation Founder's Mutation]]". He tells Scully he's worried about William just like her, but is trying to move on. The flashback at the end of the episode shows this is far from true.* TakeThatScrappy: Doggett gets one in his very first scene, when Scully angrily throws water in his face. Chris Carter has said that he knew replacing Mulder with [[ReplacementScrappy Doggett]] wouldn't be a very popular move, so instead of CharacterShilling, he gave fans what they wanted right off the bat.* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Ask ten different ''X-Files'' fans and you're likely to get ten different answers about when, exactly, the show started to suck.** Most will agree that Seasons 8 and 9, after Creator/DavidDuchovny left, were awful.** Bits of 8 were better received than 9, due to the most obvious consequences of TheChrisCarterEffect. The 'Scully's baby' plotline was loathed by many, but the MonsterOfTheWeek episodes tended to fare better in the ratings and reception.** There are voices claiming that only early seasons were worthy of watching. The extreme cases claim only season 1 and 2 were good.** There are also those that cite season 6 as the start of the decline due to the move from Vancouver to Los Angeles, claiming that the often dreary northwest weather enhanced the quality of the show, in contrast to bright and sunny Hollywood.* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:** At the end of ''Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture'', Scully mentions that the virus she was exposed to has a cure: the mysterious vaccine. Trying to retrieve the Well-Manicured Man's research or developing the vaccine at the labs of the Bureau would make for a great story arc. Some people kept enjoying season 6, but more of serious and darker episodes would have been welcome, and the MythArc had visibly less screen time, which disappointed some fans.** Anytime a MonsterOfTheWeek episode ends with a SequelHook (such as "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E02TheHost The Host]]" where the last few minutes reveal that the flukeman survived its fight with Mulder) that is never followed up on. ** The second movie, ''I want to Believe'', completely ignores the alien invasion plot (supposedly taking place in 2012) for... a monster of the week type plot.%%* TooCoolToLive:%% ** Deep Throat.%% ** Awesomely subverted with the Lone Gunmen thanks to the comic continuation.%%%% Murky and zero-context examples are not allowed. Respect example indentation.%%* ValuesDissonance: The 2016 revival got some criticism for presenting Mulder's old theories completely at face value again, with little to acknowledge how conspiracy theories are now largely associated with extreme fringe nuts, rather than the more sympathetic view they had in the '90s. The premiere even features Joel [=McHale=] as a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed take-off on Alex Jones who's presented as a hero with no sense of irony. Despite enjoying the episode, the AV Club's reviewer thought that real life tragedies such as [[TheWarOnTerror 9/11]] were being mercilessly exploited.* ValuesResonance: The 2000s saw a spike in conspiracy theorists (the internet opens a space for everyone, the WarOnTerror provides material) not unlike Mulder.* WereStillRelevantDammit: The 2016 revival features quite a few references to modern politics, purely for the sake of having a reference to modern politics.* TheWoobie:** Poor, poor Max Fenig. His abductions give him seizures and generally, his life is only suffering.** Lanny in "[[Recap/TheXFilesS02E20Humbug Humbug]]", largely due to the performance of the late Vincent Schiavelli.** Mulder and Scully themselves; especially Mulder given his deeply tragic backstory and motives.** The Soul Eater. An Empathetic Healer who gets abused as a disease trash can by the selfish townspeople, with the result that he's been left as a crippled wreck who can barely walk.* WinTheCrowd: For fans who are skeptical about the revival, the return of well-liked crew members, including Darin Morgan, and the promise of an equal split between mythology and Monster of the Week episodes has done a lot to win them over.* YokoOhNo: Creator/TeaLeoni, whose film career Duchovny tried to support by moving the franchise to UsefulNotes/LosAngeles. Not helped by the fact that he only stayed on two seasons more after the move anyway.----